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Thursday, June 2, 2016

Rotherham Hospice is giving every employee in town the opportunity to put in a few hours - or even a whole day - without having to step away from their desk or factory floor.

The only adult hospice in Rotherham for the people of Rotherham, Rotherham Hospice is an independent charity and must raise significant sums of money each year in order to pay for the quality care provided free of charge to patients, their families and carers. The charity needs £5m a year with £2.2m needed to be raised each year through voluntary support.

It is calling on every company in Rotherham to Clock In For The Hospice on September 9 - its 20th anniversary.

Staff can work in the virtual sense for the hospice - by donating a portion of that day's wages.

Christopher Duff, chief executive at Rotherham Hospice, said: "This is our biggest ever campaign and will be a massive fundraiser for us. We aim to raise £100,000 to help fund the work of the hospice and in particular our patient and family support services, which provide bereavement and carer support and counselling.

"Demand for these services is growing hugely, but this year, provision will cost £125K and we don't have other funding to support it.

"Payroll giving is a brilliantly simple idea. People don't have to down tools and walk through our doors to be able to join our volunteers. All they have to do is donate some of their net September 9 earnings. Their employers give us the amount that would have been paid in tax and National Insurance."

A total of 102 workers across Horbury Group, JB Doors at Parkgate and its sister companies Alluguard and the Olive Tree restaurant, gave up a minimum of two hours and a maximum of a full day of pay during their Virtual Day Of Working.

Bosses were so impressed they made huge donations too.

Darren Baker, MD of JB Doors, was so touched that all 30 staff across his companies gave up at least two hours of pay, he gave a further £2,500. He said. "I hope every company in Rotherham signs up to this. Every single one of us might need the hospice one day."

Trevor Wragg, founder and MD of construction industry interiors specialists, Horbury Group, gave a day of his pay and doubled the £9,100 raised by his staff. Company chairman David Williams, a hospice volunteer for several years, donated a further £5,000, bringing Horbury's total to a staggering £23,378.12.

"Our commercial manager Alex Fletcher came up with the idea. We have supported charities for 23 years and this was the easiest fundraiser we have ever staged," he said. "All we had to do was wield a pen."

Horbury Group employee Alex, a married father of two who gave up half a day of pay, said: "I would never have donated the same amount for a charity collection or a sponsored event. But I knew it would be coming out of my salary, made allowances and my family didn't suffer at all. I'm proud to have come up with the idea."